Baseline characteristics of the study population and patients lost to followup. Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise stated.
| Characteristic | Study Population, n = 282 | Lost to Followup, n = 33 | p* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women, % | 77 | 73 | 0.56 |
| Age, yrs | 55 (13) | 55 (14) | 0.96 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 10 (8) | 10 (9) | 0.79 |
| IgM rheumatoid factor-positive, % | 78 | 79 | 0.96 |
| DAS28 | 4.9 (1.2) | 5.2 (1.2) | 0.27 |
| HAQ | 1.22 (0.70) | 1.40 (0.76) | 0.17 |
| EQ-5D | 0.60 (0.19) | 0.57 (0.18) | 0.40 |
| Concomitant methotrexate, % | 74 | 58 | 0.05 |
| Concomitant glucocorticoids, % | 35 | 30 | 0.57 |
| Biological therapies, % | 0.02 | ||
| Adalimumab | 26 | 15 | |
| Etanercept | 28 | 18 | |
| Infliximab | 43 | 55 | |
| Other | 3 | 12 | |
| Marital status (% married or cohabiting) | 70 | 55 | 0.08 |
| Education, % | 0.45 | ||
| None | 21 | 27 | |
| Vocational | 32 | 36 | |
| Higher | 48 | 36 | |
| Body mass index (BMI) | 0.46 | ||
| % with BMI < 25 | 52 | 61 | |
| % with BMI ≥ 25 | 48 | 39 | |
| Smoking, % | 0.52 | ||
| Never | 31 | 33 | |
| Current | 29 | 37 | |
| Previous | 40 | 30 | |
| Weekly exercise, % | 43 | 30 | 0.18 |
| Extraarticular manifestations, % | 40 | 21 | 0.04 |
| Comorbidity excluding RA, % | 0.09 | ||
| None | 37 | 39 | |
| 1 | 35 | 18 | |
| ≥ 2 | 28 | 42 |
↵* Chi-square test was used for comparison of proportions and ANOVA for continuous variables. DAS28: Disease Activity Score-28 joints; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; EQ-5D: European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions score; RA: rheumatoid arthritis.